Currently, the majority of the energy consumed by the developed world has its origins in fossil fuels. Unfortunately, there are many well-documented problems associated with over-reliance upon energy generated from fossil fuels, such as: pollution and climate change caused by the emission of greenhouse gases: the finite nature of fossil fuels and the dwindling reserves of such carbon-based energy sources; and the concentration of control of petroleum-based energy supplies by various volatile countries and OPEC.
Accordingly, there is a need for alternative sources of energy. One such alternative energy source includes hydrogen generation systems that produce hydrogen via hydrolysis. Ideally, such hydrogen generation systems would be capable of producing hydrogen gas without the presence of oxygen, wherein such hydrogen may be used for industrial, commercial and residential purposes.
For example, when greater than 99% pure, hydrogen may be used in generator cooling, steel production, glass production, and semiconductor and photovoltaic cell production. When less than 99% pure, hydrogen may be used in various industries, such as the aerospace industry, the animal feed industry, the automotive industry, the baking industry, the chemical industry, the ethanol industry, the food processing industry, the dairy industry, the meat industry, the manufacturing industry, the medical industry, the hospitality industry, the laundry/uniform industry, the marine and offshore industry, the military and defense industry, the mining industry, the oil and gas industry, the paper/corrugating industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the rubber industry, the steel and metals industry, the tobacco industry, the transportation industry, the wire and cable industry, and the education industry.
Unfortunately, there are a number of significant hurdles that prevent the widespread use of hydrogen in commercial, industrial, and residential applications. These hurdles include cost, efficiency, and safety. First and foremost, creating hydrogen gas in a traditional manner is inefficient and costly, or even environmentally harmful when produced via reformation (i.e., the primary commercial method). Secondly, hydrogen's very low mass and energy density makes it challenging to get enough mass of hydrogen gas safely in one place to be of practical value to a user. The result is that hydrogen has been prohibitively expensive to produce, compress, cryogenically cool, maintain (at pressure and temperature), contain (due to its very small molecule structure), and transport. Accordingly, pressure, temperature, flammability, explosiveness, and low ignition energy requirement are all significant safety issues concerning the widespread use of hydrogen.